Cellular telephone detection and alarm activator for vehicular safety
First Claim
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1. A vehicle safety device comprising:
- a detector configured to detect portable electronic device activity within a vehicle;
a control unit configured to trigger an alert when the detector detects portable electronic device activity within the vehicle; and
an override mechanism configured to selectively prevent the alert from being triggered when the detector detects portable electronic device activity within the vehicle.
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Abstract
Methods and devices are disclosed that generally involve deterring the use of portable electronic devices (“PEDs”) while operating a motor vehicle by triggering one or more visible or audible alerts when such use is detected. These alerts can be sufficiently embarrassing or irritating to the vehicle operator to cause them to stop using the detected PED. In addition, merely knowing that a vehicle is equipped with a system for generating these alerts can be sufficient to deter use of PEDs while operating the vehicle. Deterrence can thus be accomplished without relying on vehicle immobilization or frequency jamming.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A vehicle safety device comprising:
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a detector configured to detect portable electronic device activity within a vehicle; a control unit configured to trigger an alert when the detector detects portable electronic device activity within the vehicle; and an override mechanism configured to selectively prevent the alert from being triggered when the detector detects portable electronic device activity within the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of deterring use of portable electronic devices within a vehicle, comprising:
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detecting portable electronic device activity within the vehicle; and triggering an alert if portable electronic device activity is detected; wherein the alert is only triggered if portable electronic device activity is detected and no override condition exists. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification